Forging-dies



(No Model.) r l l H. P. PHIPPS.

. PORGING DIES.

Patented Sept. 29, 1885.

. WITNESSES .--INV/ y UNITED STATES l'PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY I). PHIPIS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

FoRelNe-DIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,309, dated September 29, 1885.-

Application led July 23, 1885. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be itlrnown that I, HENRY l?. Pnrrrs, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Forging-Dies; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in forging dies designed more especially forl forging chord-heads on bridge-chords or eyebars and other similar work, in which a nest of dies are forged and used, the one within another, and all of the forged dies held in a larger or foundation die in such a manner that the outer die supports the inner die or dies, and so arranged that any or all of the dies constituting the nest are detachable,to the end that a great saving is effected in the metal of which the dies are constructed, and that the dies are more easily handled and more durable and less expensive than the ordinary dies used for such purposes. W'ith these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and in combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims. ,Y

In the construction of modern iron bridges usually a large number of bridge-chords or eye= bars are used, consisting each of a flat bar of iron with enlarged ends,called chord-heads]7 the heads having lateral holes extending flatwise through the bar, the holes being bored to fit chord pins or bolts. Formerly these heads were forged and then welded to the ends of the chord-bar. A more modern way is to build a pile or fagot on the end of the chordfbar and weld and shape the head at one operation by means of a steam-hammer and suitable forging-dies. These chord-heads range in size, usually, from perhaps two or three inches to eighteen or twenty inches in diameter, and consequently a large number of dies of corresponding sizes are required. Such dies are usually of cast-iron, and are-necessarily made very heavy to give the required strength. Otherwise they would not withstand the heavy blows and lateral strain to which Same.

they are subjected. The larger dies weigh V perhaps two tons or more, and this great weight is a serious hinderance in handling the dies.

In addition to the great weight and consequent cost of material, each lower or female die has to be fitted to the anvil and brought inpositiou to receive the male die that is attached to the plunger. Notwithstanding their great weight and unwieldy proportions the dies are frequently fractured and rendered worthless, and have to be replaced with new ones, by reason of which, in large establishments, a monthly expense is incurred,usual1y of several hundred dollars, in keeping up a set of these dies. The upper or male die,

being a solid block of met-al, is seldom broken or injured.

In view of the aforesaid difficulties I have devised a nest of dies forged, the smaller within'the next larger in size. The outer or foundation die is of cast-iron and fitted to the anvil, and is of suitable size to serve as the largest of the series of dies, and is of suftlcient strength to insure it against breakage. The forged dies are thin and lighter to handle, and by reason of their support from the foundation-die are rendered durable.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the outer or foundation die, showing also the upper portion of the anvil of a steam-hammer to which the dies are attached. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Fig. 3 is an elevation in section, and Fig. 4 a plan view of the foundation-die, showing two forged dies in position therein. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively an elevation in section and a plan showing four dies in position in the foundation-die. Fig. 7 is a view in"perspective of the upper or male die that fits the foundation-die. Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of a chord-head and a portion of the chord.

A represents the upper portion of an anvil, such as are commonly used with steam-ham mers, drop-presses, Ste. The anvil has a recess, a, across the upper face, the side walls of which are usually undercut, as shown in Fig. l.

B and B are respectively the male and female dies. The former is secured to the plunger or cross-head of the hammeror droppress, as the case may be, and the latter rests upon the anvil. The die B has a tongue, B2, that is secured by one or more keys, a, in the recess a, in position for the die B to receive the die B when the latter is being operated by the hammer or drop-press. The die B is the largest of the series of female dies, and` may therefore be called the foundation-die. rIhe depression or chamber b in this die corresponds in size and shape with the die B and with the chord-head l?, that is supposed to have been forged thereon. A heavy upwardlyprojecting lug, B3, is cast on the rear wall of the die B, and has a keyway, b2, for the purpose hereinafter shown. The lateral opening b of the chamber b corresponds in width with the chord P. The chamber bis necessarily of considerable depth to accommodate the fagots, that for a large chord head are usually quite bulky, not much pains being taken to arrange the fagot in a compact form or shape to fit the die. When several dies constituting a nest are to be forged, the chamber b should be ten or twelve inches (more or less) in depth, and the die should be made very heavy and strong to prevent the possibility of its breaking, Suppose the chord-heads to be forged are respectively eighteen, sixteen, and fourteen inches in diameter, and so on in the descending series. Male dies of sizes corresponding with the different chord-heads are provided, and each male die is tted to the plunger. With the old system a series of heavy female dies corresponding,respectively, to the different sizes of the chords is provided, and each female die is fitted to the anvil. With my improved system the second die in size is forgedA in the foundation-die, and the third in size is forged in the second, and so on through the descending series, and in the following manner,designating the dies according to the sizeV of the chord-head,which we have supposed to be eighteen, sixteen, and fourteen'inches, dto. A fagot of suitable size is placed in the die B (eighteen-inch) and given a few strokes of the hammer, using the male eighteen-inch die to ollatten and weld the fagot. The eighteen-inch male die is then removed, and the sixteeninch male die is substituted, after which the hammer is worked vigorously. The strokes of the sixteen-inch die break down the central portion of the fagot and force a large amount of the metal to the outside and form the rim d of the die D. (See Figs. 3 and 5.) 'The blows are continued until the rim is forced up about flush with the top of the die B, after which lighter blows are given, while water is freely applied to the newly-forged die. The side walls. of the die D in the supposed case would of course be an inch thick, and an inch would be a suitable thickness for the bottom of this die; but when the side walls have been forced up flush with the die B the bottom would be thicker or thinner,according to the amount of metal that was in the fagot, and if it was found that the bottom of the forging was so thick that it would interfere with forging of the next die the hammering might be continued to reduce the bottom of the fagot to a suitable thickness, and if in so doing the side walls were carried above the die B it would do no harm, as the protruding portions of the rim would not be in the way in operating the die or in forging the next die. rllhe die D is next removed and the inside dressed a trifle to smooth the surface,about the same amount of labor being necessary for this purpose as with the cast-iron dies. A hole is drilled to fit the pin I, and countersunk to bring the head of the pin flush with the die. This pin extends some distance into the die B, and is secured therein by a lateral key, L,that engages a notch, i, in the pin. The other end of the die D is held down by the key b3. Other dies, E F G, Svc., with, respectively, rims e, f, and g, may be forged in a similar manner. The key b3 is made to extend over the rimof the inner die, by means of which all of the forged dies are secured at this end, and,v pins I are made for each forged die, or several notches for engaging the key L may be made on the same pin. Of course various other means might be employed' for holding' down the forged dies.

In Figs. 3 and 4 two forged dies, D and E, are shown, and in Figs. 5 and 6 four' dies,v D, E, F, and G, are shown in position. These forged dies in the supposed caseare so thin that they would be internally worthless to use singly, but when in position in the'next larger die and supported by the foundation-die are found to be sufficiently strong and durable. The limit of the durability is yet to be tested, as in a trial of four months of such usag'ejas would usually have broken several cast dies the entire nest of forged dies up to the present time is intact, and shows no signsy of giving out. The die B has a shallow bore, b4, in which is set a steel plug, b5, for makingthe hole pin the chord-head P. Each Lof the forged dies is provided with a similar but smaller hole, according to the size of the die, anda plug is made for each die, and of such length that'when thelower end of the plugrests on the bottom of the bore b4 the upper end thereof will extend above the face of the die about half the distance of the thickness of the 'chordhead. In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a plug, e',

ifor the die E, and in Figs. 5 and 6 is shown the plug g for the die G. As a chord-head is reversed from time to time in the process of forging, the said plug breaks a core from the head and forms the hole. These holes are afterward bored accurately to t thechordpins.` ln forging the dieD thehole Z14 is lled with a plug Ythat comes about even with the face of the die, and the same may-be don'e with each successive forged die, or these holes may be bored after all of the dies are forged.

IOO

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2. A nest or series of forging-dies consisting, essentially, of a base or foundation die i5 and a series of smaller dies arranged within the foundation-die, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this speeication, in the presence of two Witnesses, this 11th day of June, 1885.

HENRY P. PHIPPS.

Witnesses:

ALBERT E. LYNCH, GaAs. H. DORER. 

